There can be no doubt that Zwicky was a giant in astronomy and astrophysics. For a look at the career of Fritz Zwicky I highly recommend the article Idea Man by Stephen M. Maurer.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Fritz Zwicky: The Father of Dark Matter
Longtime readers of Palomar Skies may remember my birthday tribute to Zwicky last February and his daughter's tribute as well.
There can be no doubt that Zwicky was a giant in astronomy and astrophysics. For a look at the career of Fritz Zwicky I highly recommend the article Idea Man by Stephen M. Maurer.
. R
There can be no doubt that Zwicky was a giant in astronomy and astrophysics. For a look at the career of Fritz Zwicky I highly recommend the article Idea Man by Stephen M. Maurer.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
2009: The International Year of Astronomy
I am still on vacation, but 2009 begins in less than 24 hours. 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first astronomical observations (also the 60th anniversary of first light for the Hale Telescope). The International Astronomical Union will be celebrating all year long with an unprecedented push for public outreach in astronomy.
2009 is the International Year of Astronomy!
Palomar Observatory will be involved in many of the IYA projects. From time to time I'll be posting about the IYA activities that you can enjoy.
First off is the 365 Days of Astronomy - an astronomy podcast for every day of the year. Visit the link, subscribe (its free!) and you can have iTunes drop a new astronomy podcast at your doorstep each and every new day for a whole year. How cool is that? Towards the end of January you'll have a chance to hear my first podcast and others during the year as well.
The International Year of Astronomy has an official trailer. Have a look:
After you've seen the trailer click on over to Astronomy Picture of the Day to see today's entry The Sky in Motion. It is inspirational.
Happy New Year to all the readers of Palomar Skies. It should be an exciting one.
2009 is the International Year of Astronomy!
Palomar Observatory will be involved in many of the IYA projects. From time to time I'll be posting about the IYA activities that you can enjoy.
First off is the 365 Days of Astronomy - an astronomy podcast for every day of the year. Visit the link, subscribe (its free!) and you can have iTunes drop a new astronomy podcast at your doorstep each and every new day for a whole year. How cool is that? Towards the end of January you'll have a chance to hear my first podcast and others during the year as well.
The International Year of Astronomy has an official trailer. Have a look:
After you've seen the trailer click on over to Astronomy Picture of the Day to see today's entry The Sky in Motion. It is inspirational.
Happy New Year to all the readers of Palomar Skies. It should be an exciting one.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Observatory: Open
Just a quick note to let you know that the observatory is finally again open to the public. Our normal public visiting hours (9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.) are now in affect.
I haven't been posting much lately (seeing as I am on vacation), but there is lots of cool stuff waiting in the wings for when I return. Not the least of which is that the International Year of Astronomy begins in mere days. Palomar will be involved in a number of ways. More on that later.
I haven't been posting much lately (seeing as I am on vacation), but there is lots of cool stuff waiting in the wings for when I return. Not the least of which is that the International Year of Astronomy begins in mere days. Palomar will be involved in a number of ways. More on that later.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Icy Conditions Close Observatory - Again
Christmas Day brought rain followed by a hard freeze that left everything coated in ice. The result is extremely slippery conditions that kept the observatory closed on December 26. Temperatures are supposed to rise above freezing today, but it is currently just 20 degrees and it may be a while before we reopen to the public. We certainly will not do so until conditions are safe for visitors.
Update: Still icy. Still closed. In all shady spots the roads on Palomar Mountain are pretty bad.
Update: Still icy. Still closed. In all shady spots the roads on Palomar Mountain are pretty bad.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Observatory to re-open December 23
The snow removal at the observatory continues and the observatory is expected to re-open on Tuesday December 23rd. Of course the observatory will be closed December 24 & 25 as is traditional.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Warning: Snow Falling Off Dome!
Today is the Winter Solstice and yes, we are still closed to the public due to snow.
When we are open to the public we do ask that visitors read and obey all signs. They are posted for everyone's safety.
During and immediately after a snowfall there is always a danger at the observatory. One that most visitors do not think about--snow and ice falling off of the Hale Telescope's dome. The dome is 135 feet high. A slump of snow falling from that height carries a lot of energy--energy that could cause great damage, injury or even death.
When we are open to the public and the potential is there for snow to fall off of the dome the observatory staff does its best to warn visitors by posting signs like the one below.
Many people don't pay any attention to the signs as they are really focused only on the snow.
On Friday of this week we had a slump of snow slide off of the dome on to a Manzanita tree growing between the dome and the visitors path next to it. The impact of snow, yes snow, to the tree makes it look like the tree had exploded.
Notice that the trees in the background have already lost their snow. We keep the dome at nighttime temperatures (you get better images of the stars that way) which keeps the snow and ice on the dome far longer than it stays in the surrounding trees. As a result, most people wouldn't expect to have anything fall onto them, because they can see that all the snow has already fallen from the trees.
Thankfully no one was hit by this. Imagine what it would have done.
In February 1998 the observatory had just acquired a new car (one week before) when a visiting astronomer had parked it right next to the dome early in the morning, before the staff had the chance to up the signs warning of snow falling off of the dome. The result could have been deadly. Thankfully the observer was not in the car when the snow fell. The impact of snow falling off of the dome crushed the roof of the vehicle.
When visiting the observatory for snow, be careful out there and pay attention to all signs. They are posted for everyone's safety. And when we are closed because of snow that's for everyone's safety too.
Thanks to Steve Kunsman for providing me with the photos for this post.
When we are open to the public we do ask that visitors read and obey all signs. They are posted for everyone's safety.
During and immediately after a snowfall there is always a danger at the observatory. One that most visitors do not think about--snow and ice falling off of the Hale Telescope's dome. The dome is 135 feet high. A slump of snow falling from that height carries a lot of energy--energy that could cause great damage, injury or even death.
When we are open to the public and the potential is there for snow to fall off of the dome the observatory staff does its best to warn visitors by posting signs like the one below.
Many people don't pay any attention to the signs as they are really focused only on the snow.On Friday of this week we had a slump of snow slide off of the dome on to a Manzanita tree growing between the dome and the visitors path next to it. The impact of snow, yes snow, to the tree makes it look like the tree had exploded.
Notice that the trees in the background have already lost their snow. We keep the dome at nighttime temperatures (you get better images of the stars that way) which keeps the snow and ice on the dome far longer than it stays in the surrounding trees. As a result, most people wouldn't expect to have anything fall onto them, because they can see that all the snow has already fallen from the trees.Thankfully no one was hit by this. Imagine what it would have done.In February 1998 the observatory had just acquired a new car (one week before) when a visiting astronomer had parked it right next to the dome early in the morning, before the staff had the chance to up the signs warning of snow falling off of the dome. The result could have been deadly. Thankfully the observer was not in the car when the snow fell. The impact of snow falling off of the dome crushed the roof of the vehicle.When visiting the observatory for snow, be careful out there and pay attention to all signs. They are posted for everyone's safety. And when we are closed because of snow that's for everyone's safety too.Thanks to Steve Kunsman for providing me with the photos for this post.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Still Closed
Snow, ice, fallen tree limbs and other issues have been taxing the observatory staff. As such the observatory is closed today (December 19) and will remain closed through the weekend (December 20 - 21). So anyone looking to find a place to play in the snow should find another place to visit. Sorry about that.
Have a look at the shot below.
Notice that there is still a fair amount of snow on the dome making standing next to the dome a very dangerous place to be. Several inches of snow falling from the top of the 135-foot tall dome can be very damaging. In a future post, I will put up a photo of what happened to a car that was parked next to the dome when snow fell onto it. It was not pretty.
Fallen tree limbs have also been a problem at various locations on site.
Have a look at the shot below.
Notice that there is still a fair amount of snow on the dome making standing next to the dome a very dangerous place to be. Several inches of snow falling from the top of the 135-foot tall dome can be very damaging. In a future post, I will put up a photo of what happened to a car that was parked next to the dome when snow fell onto it. It was not pretty.Fallen tree limbs have also been a problem at various locations on site.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Buried
The observatory is still closed to the public. The staff has two to three feet of snow (plus bigger drifts!) to deal with giving them plenty of work to do just to get the telescopes back to astronomy. Getting the grounds ready for visitors will take a while.
For anyone who may be wondering why I am not answering my phone - I am snowed out of my office.
For anyone who may be wondering why I am not answering my phone - I am snowed out of my office.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Snow & Ice
We are in the middle of a big winter storm. The observatory, and likely the road here, is closed for at least the rest of today.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Winter Weather on Palomar = Caution
Mother Nature can strike hard in the wintertime. Even though Palomar Mountain is located in Southern California (where the stars always shine) the mountain and the observatory are not immune to the ravages of winter.
Yesterday's winter storm produced at least one accident on Palomar (see photo below) and kept the observatory from opening to the public. The weather also kept me from updating our website to reflect the closure. Whenever possible I'll post notice of closures but we also try to update our Public Information Recording when weather or other conditions will interfere with your visit to the observatory. The number for the Public Information Recording is (760) 742-2119.
When planning a visit to to Palomar, especially in winter, be sure to check the weather forecast and our "Special Notes" on our Driving to Palomar Observatory webpage.
As of this writing, we are still closed and will not re-open until it is safe for visitors to be on observatory grounds. There's lots of snow and ice to clear from our walkways. Another winter storm is on the way that will likely keep us closed on Wednesday and maybe beyond.
Stay safe!
Yesterday's winter storm produced at least one accident on Palomar (see photo below) and kept the observatory from opening to the public. The weather also kept me from updating our website to reflect the closure. Whenever possible I'll post notice of closures but we also try to update our Public Information Recording when weather or other conditions will interfere with your visit to the observatory. The number for the Public Information Recording is (760) 742-2119.
When planning a visit to to Palomar, especially in winter, be sure to check the weather forecast and our "Special Notes" on our Driving to Palomar Observatory webpage.
As of this writing, we are still closed and will not re-open until it is safe for visitors to be on observatory grounds. There's lots of snow and ice to clear from our walkways. Another winter storm is on the way that will likely keep us closed on Wednesday and maybe beyond.
Stay safe!
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